Do You Trust Me?
by nineteennintytwo
Summary: When she returns, Alice brings a heartbroken Margaret into Wonderland with her, where the two sisters face challenges that they never dreamed of; Margaret faces a long pregnancy, while Alice debates her feelings for a certain Hatter... OLD STORY.
1. Do You Trust Me?

OK, so this was originally going to be a oneshot, but I turned it into a full chapter story. It's about Alice returning to Underland, but bringing her sister, too. This is not my first Alice In Wonderland story; I have three others, which are Of White Rabbits & Mad Hatters, Birth In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass. Please give those a read, too.

Disclaimer: Don't own Alice In Wonderland; Disney, Tim Burton and Lewis Carol does.

Now, without further ado...

* * *

Do You Trust Me?

One day, Margaret's life was perfect, but then the next, it wasn't. That was what it felt like, anyway. Sitting in the drawing room of Lord Ascot's grand house, she reflected back on the words she had said to her sister just two years before, at the failed engagement party.

"_You will be as happy as I am with Lowell, and your life will be perfect." _

She had been blind as to what had really been going on. And when she realized this, it was already too late. Lowell had run off to Scotland with another girl, and had left Margaret all alone, becoming the new gossip of all the young ladies in London.

"Did you hear about Margaret Manchester? Her husband ran off with another woman."

"I heard that Margaret Manchester was dumped by her own husband."

"What do you call a woman who's husband has left her for another girl? Because that's what Margaret Manchester is now."

"Word is that Margaret Manchester was never properly married; she'll die and old spinster after all."

Whenever these few sentences were whispered, Margaret would hang her head low and avert her eyes as she passed, trying her best to ignore the giggles and the looks of disgrace that people were giving her. Margaret knew that the Chattaway sisters were to blame for the fast-spreading gossip, and if she ever saw them again, she would not hesitate to strangle them for real.

Margaret allowed a tear to shed from her eye as she gazed down upon her locket, one side containing a picture of her mother and father, and the other side containing a picture of her sister, Alice. She wiped away the lone tear as she sniffed on the lump in her throat.

"Oh Mother, what should I do?" she asked the picture.

But she knew that neither her mother nor her father could hear her. Her father was long gone, and her mother had only passed away just a few weeks before. Margaret had already been in a big enough state with her mother's death, and Lowell running off didn't help it one bit; Margaret suspected that he had always been afraid of Helen Kingsleigh, so had used her departure to his advantage.

"Will I ever have the perfect life again?" she questioned to herself, before resting her face in her hands and crying some more.

She did not remain alone for very long, though, when Alice entered the room looking for her. When she caught sight of her sister crying, she immediately sat down on the chair beside her and wrapped a comforting arm around her sister's shoulder.

"There, there, Meg," she said, using the shortened version of her sister's name. "It's going to be all right. Lord Ascot is doing all he can."

"But even if he does find Lowell it'll never be the same," Margaret said, sniffing on her tears. "No one will ever forget this. The stories will still remain, and everywhere we go we will be frowned upon. Lowell has ruined me, and unknowingly ruined himself. Our lives will never be the same, and all because of his thoughtlessness."

"I understand," Alice said, before taking a deep breath. "Meg, I have a confession to make. I...knew that he was doing it; I caught him doing it two years ago at the engagement party, but I didn't want to tell you out of fear of ruining your marriage. I cornered him later, though, and threatened him so that he wouldn't do it again. He seemed to stop, and I always knew that he would end up doing it again...but I never thought that he'd go as far as this."

Margaret looked up at her younger sister, but knew that she couldn't blame her. Alice may have known about it, but how could anyone have suspected that he'd do anything this reckless?

"I do not blame you, Alice," she said, looking down at her lap again. "The damage is done, and nothing can be reversed. Oh, if only we could escape to a place where no one will frown down upon us."

Alice turned away, a smile forming on her face. All her questions had been answered, and her father's company was at it's peak. The only thing holding her back was Margaret, but after what Lowell had done to her, who's to say that she can't come, too? Alice's smile widened as she made her decision.

"Meg, I want to show you something," she said.

Before Margaret could ask what it was that she wanted to show her, Alice took hold of her hand and pulled her up out of her seat, before hurrying out of the room with her older sister trailing behind. Down the stairs and out the door, Alice broke into a run as she raced across the gardens of the Ascot estate. Poor Margaret was dragged behind her, her dark blonde hair flying out behind her.

"Alice, where are you taking me?" she asked, shocked by her sister's enthusiasm.

"You'll see!" was Alice's reply, her face baring a big, wide smile.

They ran through the maze and out into the woods, ducking and avoiding branches as they went. They soon arrived out in a meadow, and Alice led Margaret around an old tree where a large rabbit hole lay. Alice crouched down in front of it, and Margaret did the same.

"Alice, what are you trying to show me?" her sister asked. "I know you said that you liked rabbits, but we shouldn't be looking for one, it is not proper-"

"Do you trust me?" Alice suddenly asked.

Margaret blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"I said, do you trust me?" Alice asked again, holding out her hand for her sister to take.

"Well, of course," Margaret replied, placing her hand in her sister's.

"Then don't let go," Alice told her, and before Margaret could do anything, Alice threw herself forwards into the hole, dragging Margaret behind her.

Margaret let out a scream, expecting to hit the dirt at the bottom, but no such dirt came. She and Alice kept on falling, and when she opened her eyes, she found that the two of them were falling past things she never expected to be in a rabbit hole; paintings, maps, mirrors and bookshelves, all crowded with odd bits and bobs. Margaret let out a scream of fright, but was shocked to hear Alice laughing out loud as the fall continued.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the two of them crashed through something, and landed on a wooden floor. Both sat up, and Margaret was about to ask what had happened, when she realized that she and her sister were sitting upside down. They fell again, landing on a tiled floor.

"What...was that?" she asked her sister, standing up and brushing herself off.

Her hair had come undone and was now a tangled mess, as was Alice's; but the style looked better on Alice than it did on Margaret.

"The rabbit hole," Alice replied, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Do you really think that I fell down into an ordinary hole two years ago?"

Margaret blinked in surprise.

"You've been here before?" she asked.

"Twice, actually," Alice explained. "Once when I was six, and the second time when I ran out on Hamish two years ago."

She was looking around the room, until finally spying a small glass table in the centre of the room. She walked over to it, and picked up a key and a small bottle of liquid.

"Here, you need to take a sip of this," she said, handing the bottle to Margaret.

Margaret removed the top and sniffed the contents, but recoiled at it's foul smell.

"Are you quite sure it's safe to drink?" she asked.

"Most positive," Alice replied. "You said that you trusted me, so why would I lie to you?"

Margaret thought this through for a second. If what Alice said was true and she _had_ done this before, then it should be safe, right? Margaret hesitated as she finally pressed it to her lips and took a sip, but coughed and gagged at the taste. Suddenly, she began to shrink, her clothing falling around her.

"Alice, what's happening?" she cried.

"You're just shrinking," Alice explained, double checking that she had the key in her hand and drinking the potion too, before she shrinking as well. "We need to be this height so we can fit through the door."

"Which door?" her sister asked.

She looked around. There were many doors, and all were big enough for them to fit through at their normal height; why do they need to be this size?

"That door," Alice said, pointing at a curtain at the other end of the room.

She hurried back to the table and picked up a small box, before dragging her clothing with her as she made her way over to the curtain. She pulled it back, to reveal a tiny door. Margaret understood why they had to be so small.

"Bring your clothing," Alice told her, as she fit the key in the door and opened it.

Margaret dragged her clothing and followed Alice as she stepped outside, where the two sisters were met by the sight of a beautiful garden full of life.

"It's healed itself," Alice commented.

"Pardon?" Margaret asked.

"The last time I was here, the garden was all tangled and brown," her sister explained. "Now it's all better again, like it was the first time."

She opened the little box and brought out a cake, and took a small nibble out of it. She suddenly shot upwards, until she was at her right height again fully clothed. She bent down and handed the cake to Margaret.

"Take a bite out of this, but not too much," she told her. "I learnt that lesson the hard way."

Margaret took a small nibble like Alice had done, and grew back to her normal height with her clothes fitting correctly again.

"So what happened when you were here last time?" she asked her sister.

And so, as they walked through the garden, Alice told her everything about her adventures in Underland – or Wonderland, as she called it. She explained about her first visit, and then about being lured back again by the White Rabbit. Margaret listened closely, her eyes going wide at the battle against the Jabberwocky, but remained silent until the end.

"Well, it certainly explains the way you are," she commented once Alice had finished her story.

Alice smiled. They were walking through a dark wood, when the youngest Kingsleigh sister felt a sudden rush of wind.

"Ahem."

She looked above her, and sitting on a branch, was the Cheshire Cat. Margaret gasped and whipped round.

"It looks like the Champion of Underland has returned," he commented, his tail swishing from side to side. "And she's brought a friend."

He disappeared, and only his head reappeared beside Margaret. The eldest Kingsleigh sister gasped and gripped Alice's arm tightly.

"Who might this young lady be?" he asked, grinning widely.

"This is my sister; Margaret," Alice introduced.

"How...how do you do," Margaret greeted him politely.

"How do you do to you, too," Chessur said, disappearing again.

"That's Chessur," Alice whispered to her sister. "He can disappear and reappear wherever he likes, sometimes not all at once."

Chessur reappeared again, this time a short way ahead.

"I'm assuming that you are going to visit the Hare and the Hatter?" he asked. "I know Tarrant would like to see you again."

"Yes, if you'd be so kind as to take us there?" Alice asked.

Chessur nodded, before floating up ahead with Alice and Margaret following.

"Who's Tarrant?" Margaret asked.

"The Hatter," Alice replied. "He does have a real name, you know."

They soon arrived in front of a long table, which was very untidy and only had four guests sitting at it. One was the White Rabbit, drinking his tea nervously and occasionally twitching his ears at the slightest rustle in the bushes. Mallymkun was there too, emerging from a tea pot after having a nice nap. The March Hare was seated on the other side of the table, examining a spoon in his hand. And at the head of the table sat the Hatter, his hat lowered down over his face. When the new arrivals were acknowledge, the White Rabbit's face brightened up whereas Mallymkun scowled.

"Look who's here!" she said in an annoyed tone.

"You're all late for tea!" the March Hare cried, launching a cup in their direction.

Alice grabbed hold of Margaret's hand and pulled her down, the cup soaring over their heads and smashing against a tree behind them. At the sudden disturbance, the Hatter looked up, and he bolted upright at the sight of Alice. His whole being seemed to brighten up, and his eyes flashed a mixture of greens and blues.

"Alice!" he cried, before standing up onto the table and walking across it, knocking aside cups and spoons as he went.

"OI! Watch what you're doing!" Mallymkun shouted.

"Oh dear! Oh dear!" the White Rabbit cried.

The March Hare just proceeded to set everything straight again. As the Hatter approached, Margaret gripped hold of her sister's hand tighter, a little uncertain of the man that was approaching her and her sister. But Alice's face was bright and happy; she was clearly glad to see him.

"You're back!" he said, finally stepping off the table in front of them.

"Told you I'd be back before you knew it," Alice told him.

The Hatter smiled a toothy grin, before his eyes fell on Margaret.

"And who might this be?" he asked.

"Oh, this is my sister; Margaret," Alice introduced.

Margaret just nodded her head in a greeting, too stunned to say anything.

"Well, she's welcome to stay for tea, too!" the Hatter cried with an insane laugh, before stepping over the table again back to his seat.

Alice and Margaret just took the long way around, Alice taking a seat in the same chair as last time, and Margaret sitting in the chair next to her.

"We were waiting for your return, which is why we're still having tea," the Hatter explained. "You're terribly late again, you naughty thing."

"Time still not agreeing with you?" Alice asked.

The Hatter took out his watch and stared at it for a brief moment, before tucking it away again back in his pocket.

"Still not a tick to be heard," he concluded.

The March Hare took out his watch and did the same. But what got Margaret surprised was that he had taken the watch out of his cup of tea.

"Do you like riddles, Miss Margaret?" the Hatter asked, turning to the eldest Kingsleigh sister.

"Well...I could give one a go?" she said, shrugging.

"She's good at riddles," Alice commented. "Father kept a book of riddles in our library at home; she solved every single one of them."

"Try and solve this one, then," the Hatter said, before leaning forwards. "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

Margaret turned away in thought, puzzling it over in her head.

"Raven...writing desk...is it because they both have quills?" she finally answered.

The Hatter frowned, realizing that she was right.

"Oh...don't know why I didn't think of that," he said, laughing.

The March Hare and Mallymkun laughed along with him, while the white Rabbit sipped his tea quietly and Chessur just stirred his with a calm look on his face.

"So, you are staying for good this time, aren't you?" the Hatter asked Alice, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Why else do you think I came back?" Alice answered.

The Hatter smiled his toothy grin, but Margaret turned to her sister with a puzzled expression.

"Staying?" she questioned.

"Yes," Alice replied. "You said that you wished for a place to escape to, and here we are. You'll never be frowned upon down here."

Margaret looked thoughtful. The world above was her home, and and she was used to living there, even though it could be a bit dull. But as she looked around her, she saw that this place wasn't dull at all; it was quite the opposite. Not only that, but the only person she had left was Alice, and if her little sister wanted to stay here, then so should she.

"I guess I could give this place a chance," she said.

Alice embraced her sister in a hug, while Hatter sighed in relief.

"What's wrong, Hatter?" Alice asked, pulling away from her sister.

"Well, you wouldn't have been able to go home anyway," he answered.

"Why's that?"

"We're out of Jabberwocky blood."

* * *

Please let me know what you all think!

**Please review!**


	2. To Marmoreal

Just a warning, this is my first Alice/Hatter story, so if something doesn't sound right, then please tell me.

Hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

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To Marmoreal

Since Time wasn't agreeing with the Hatter, it was uncertain how long the tea party went on for. But it _was_ certain that the tea party had been growing madder and madder by the minute. The Hatter and Alice and gone into a discussion over words which began with the letter 'M', whilst Mallymkun and the March Hare continued to fling various items around the table which created an ever bigger mess than before. Margaret just sat in silence, unsure whether or not to join in with the madness or just sit quietly like her mother had told her so often to do. The White Rabbit was in a similar situation, and he soon found himself hopping across the table and taking a seat by Margaret, where the two of them began a decent conversation. Chessur just sat in silence, stirring his tea.

"Well," the Hatter finally said, addressing everyone present at the table, "I'd say that it's high time that we head back to the Queen's castle. I am sure that everyone there would like to meet your sister, Alice, and if you are both staying, you'll be needing a room."

"Yes, thank you, Hatter," Alice thanked him.

Margaret just nodded thanks to him. For the first time, she was the uncertain one whereas her sister was completely confident. If the other inhabitants of Underland were as mad as these characters were, then she wasn't looking forward to the meeting at all.

"Don't worry, Meg," Alice assure her, taking her sister's hand. "This is as mad as it's going to get. I think you'll like it at Marmoreal."

Margaret smiled at her sister, taking her word for it. Alice hadn't lied about this place and the shrinking drink, so why would she lie now? The small party set off towards Marmoreal, through the Tulgey Woods at a jaunty pace. Nivens, Mallymkun and Thackery took the lead, Chessur floated above them, and the Hatter, Alice and Margaret brought up the rear.

"I remember last time we walked this path, you were muttering a poem," Alice remembered, turning to the Hatter. "What was it again?"

"Ah, yes," he remembered. "It was the one about the Jabberwocky."

"I tried reciting it to Meg, but I couldn't remember it," Alice continued.

"Then I shall recite it," the Hatter said, before he began. "_Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, did gyre and gimble in the wabe; all mimsy were the borogroves, and the mome raths outgrabe. The Jabberwock with eyes of flame. The jaws that bite. The claws that catch. Beware the Jabberwock, my son, and the Frumious Bandersnatch. He took his Vorpal Sword in hand. The Vorpal Sword blade went snicker-snack; he left it dead, and with it's head, he went galumping back._"

"It sounds like one of the nonsense poems that Father used to tell us both before bed," Margaret said to Alice. "I never quite understood them, but you always seemed to."

"This one is about me, apparently," Alice told her.

"Speaking of which, I still don't understand how you could slay such a thing," Margaret said. "I know I never could, and I never thought you to be the type to slay anything."

"That's what I first thought when I first arrived here," Alice explained. "Most insisted that I was the wrong Alice, but eventually, everyone excepted that I was the right one, but me. I still don't know what made me do it in the end."

"But she was certainly brave," the Hatter insisted. "I always knew that she could do it, right from the beginning."

"I had help, though," Alice said, casting a knowing glance at him.

The Hatter just smiled sheepishly.

"Everyone needs help once in a while," he admitted. "The Jabberwocky would have killed you if I hadn't interfered."

Hearing this, Margaret raised an eyebrow at her sister and the Hatter. But before she could say anything, the party began to slow down until they all came to an eventual halt. The animals in front had turned to look at the Hatter, and casting her eyes around, Alice found herself doing the same. They had entered the clearing which was still burnt, leaving behind damage that could not be undone, and Alice found herself taking the Hatter's hand in her own to comfort him. Margaret was unsure why everyone was so quiet, until she remembered what Alice had told her about the Hatter, and how he had lost his entire family to the Jabberwocky. She immediately felt sympathy for him.

"We should go," Alice finally spoke up.

The Hatter was silent for a moment, before he finally nodded an agreement.

* * *

The White Rabbit hurried on ahead to tell the White Queen of Alice's arrival, so when the rest of the party approached the white castle, there were many hurrying towards them in order to greet them. The White Rabbit was running ahead with the Bandersnatch, and behind them, came the White Queen, the Tweedles, Bayard and the Dodo. Margaret gasped and hid behind Alice as the Bandersnatch approached, but Alice just smiled as she held out her hand and patted the beast's head.

"Alice!" the Tweedles exclaimed, shaking a hand each.

"How come you not small?" Tweedledum asked. "You did come through the door, or not?"

"No, she did, but she eaten the Upelkuchen to make her big again, and what-not," Tweedledee explained to his brother.

"Oh yeah, forgot," Tweedledum realized.

The twin's eyes then fell on Margaret, and their brows knotted together in confusion.

"Hey, is that being another Alice?" Tweedledum asked.

"No, it ain't, there can only be one Alice," Tweedledee explained.

"But I'm sure she looks like another Alice," Tweedledum said.

"Well she ain't, no-how!" Tweedledee said back, hitting his brother in the tummy.

Annoyed, Tweedledum stamped on his brother's foot. Tweedledee hit him, and Tweedledum shoved back.

"No, this is my sister; Margaret," Alice explained to them, stopping the two boys from fighting.

"Ah, yes, Nivens told me that you've brought your sister with you," Mirana said, stepping forwards.

Margaret came out from behind Alice and bowed gracefully in front of the Queen. Finally someone with a bit of sanity and propriety.

"How do you do, your majesty," she greeted.

"Please, call me Mirana," the Queen said. "All of my close friends do."

"She does look a lot like you, Alice," the Dodo said.

Margaret's eyes went wide at the sight of something which she thought had not been seen since the 16th century.

"Alice, is that a...Dodo bird?" she gasped.

Alice laughed at her sister's astonishment.

"You've met disappearing cats and talking animals, and you gasp at the sight of this?" she questioned. "Yes, that's Uilleam."

Bayard let out a happy bark and leapt up at Alice, his front paws resting upon her upper legs.

"And it's good to see you too, Bayard," Alice greeted him, rubbing the top of his head.

Margaret gave the bloodhound a pat too, before Mirana led everyone inside and into the throne room. After seeing and hearing about the White Queen, Margaret wasn't surprised by what her castle was like. It was light and airy, and everywhere she looked was pure white.

"Welcome to Marmoreal," Mirana told Margaret, before turning back to Alice. "I'm glad that you have arrived here at your right height for once."

"We were careful about that when we came through," Alice told her.

The White Queen smiled.

"So," she continued, "since you will both be staying here, I presume that you will both need rooms? Alice, you can have the room you had during your last visit, and your sister can have the room next door."

"Thank you," both Alice and Margaret said in unison.

The White Queen led them away up the long flight of stairs and down a wide hallway, her long blonde hair flying out behind her. She stopped outside two closed doors.

"You shall both find clothing in each room," she said. "Come down when you are ready."

She left the two sisters alone, and after exchanging smiles, both entered their own rooms. Margaret's room was white like the rest of the castle, and she marvelled at how clean and tidy everything was. It reminded her of her own bedroom back up top, where she would sometimes do the cleaning herself since the maids always seemed to get it wrong; not only that, but she liked to do cleaning, which she knew would have completely shocked her mother. She spent quite a long time looking at everything, including the clothes in the draws and wardrobes. She had expected for everything to be white, but to her surprise, all the clothing was blue. Margaret preferred pink, but she guessed that blue was all right, too.

"How long does it take for you to get ready, Meg?"

Margaret turned, to find Alice standing in the doorway already dressed. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress, similar to the one she had been wearing two years before on the day of the failed engagement party. Although this dress was a lot prettier, and suited Alice perfectly – despite the lack of corset and stockings.

"Oh, Alice, you look beautiful," Margaret exclaimed.

Alice smiled.

"Come on, I would like to see you try one on," she pleaded, turning her head towards the wardrobe.

Margaret gazed into the wardrobe, too. Like Alice's, neither of the dresses came with corsets or stockings, which she had so become accustomed to up top, but she did not mind this. She had secretly hated them, but did not have the guts to defy her mother, unlike her younger sister. After looking through each dress, she eventually pulled one out which was a similar style to the one she had been wearing on the day of the failed engagement party, although this one was minus the corset.

She disappeared into the bathroom to change, and once she came out, Alice gasped at the sight of her sister.

"Meg, you look beautiful," she said. "I can't understand why you don't wear blue more often; it really suits you."

Margaret turned to look in the mirror, and had to admit that Alice was right. Blue did suit her; better than pink, actually, as the blue in the dress matched the blue tints in her green eyes. Catching sight of her still messy hair, she picked up a brush and began to brush it, and was about to put it up before Alice stopped her.

"Your hair looks better down," she said.

So Margaret took her sister's word for it and allowed her hair to flow down her back – if their mother saw the two of them now, Margaret wasn't sure if she would admire their beauty or scowl at them for not dressing proper.

"Alice, do you really think that I belong here?" she asked. "I'm not you, and you know it."

"Meg, if I fit in here, then chances are that you will, too," Alice explained. "You said yourself that there's no life left for you up top, so it's time to start a new one down here. You'll find that Underland may surprise you."

The two of them exchanged a sisterly smile, before they linked arms and proceeded along the hallway and back down the stairs.

* * *

Please tell me if I got anything wrong, and I hope that everyone was in character.

**Please review!**


	3. Pregnancy

**Important note:** I've had a lot of anonymous reviews which are all very much the same; each about the Dodo and the Caucus Race, and suggesting lines I can use in future chapters. And it's made me wonder; are you all just different people with the same ideas and opinions, or are you just one person reviewing countless times? Please be honest, because I really want to know.

Oh, and for those of you who requested it, there will be **NO** mammoths in this story!

* * *

Pregnancy

Alice knew that Margaret would eventually get used to the idea of living in Underland, but she never thought that Margaret would adapt to her new life so quickly. She stopped gasping at the weird inhabitants and grew used to the idea of plants and animals talking, and to Alice's delight, she became very good friends with Mirana the White Queen. While Alice would be out walking with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, Margaret would spend her time with the White Queen and the White Rabbit, and it didn't come as a surprise when Margaret was made a member of the White Queen's court. Alice congratulated her for it and said that their mother would be so proud.

"Of course Mother would be proud that I've become a member at court," Margaret said to her, "but she probably expected me to become a member of court up top rather than down here."

All in all, Margaret was happy, until something began happening which brought on worry in her and her sister. Food wasn't going down well with her, and Margaret would find herself hurrying away every morning and throwing up her breakfast; at first, Alice thought that it was the Underland food (she found that the March Hare's food was quite dodgy when it came to eating it), but when it kept on happening – and most importantly, just to Margaret – Alice began to suspect that something was up.

Margaret had suspected something too, and after two more weeks of throwing up her breakfast, she finally accepted the fearful truth that had been dancing at the back of her mind. She was pregnant. And what made it worse, was that it was Lowell's child. Margaret found herself hating that man even more than she had done before. Not only had he hurt her emotionally, but now he was hurting her physically, due to the pain caused as she was throwing up into a bucket.

Keeping it a secret only worked for so long, as Alice was the most curious girl ever to have existed, and soon decided that it was high time that she cornered Margaret about it. When her sister dashed away at breakfast and up into her room, Alice followed her, and caught Margaret throwing up into a bucket in the bathroom.

"Meg, please, stop it!" Alice demanded, knowing that her sister was in pain.

Margaret stopped bringing up her breakfast and turned to look at Alice.

"Do you really think that I would put myself through this purposely?" she questioned.

"But can you not do anything to prevent it, whatever it is?" Alice asked. "Mirana is in the healing arts; maybe she could give you something to help?"

"No, Alice," Margaret told her firmly, finally standing up and walking back into the main bedroom. "I am certain that there is nothing anyone can do to stop this. But this will stop in time, I promise."

Alice just looked at her sister, and knew that she was hiding something. Her gaze was fixed firmly on the floor, and she looked awkward and hesitant around Alice. Her younger sister continued to watch her, her mind clanking together and putting together all the factors; morning sickness, hesitation...there was only one thing it could be.

"Meg, are you pregnant?" she asked.

Margaret snapped her head up, but after seeing the look on Alice's face, she slowly nodded. A tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek.

"Then why are you so upset?" Alice asked.

"Because it's Lowell's child," Margaret explained. "All I want is to forget that man, but now, I can never forget him. He has burdened me with his child, and I just don't know how I will be able to cope with it."

There was a knock at the door, but before Margaret and Alice could respond, the White Queen entered the room and glided gracefully over to where the two sisters were stood. She noticed Margaret's unhappiness immediately.

"Why, whatever is the matter?" she asked the eldest Kingsley sister.

"I'm...I'm expecting a child," Margaret sobbed. "But it is Lowell's, and I don't know what to do. I don't think I will be able to stand raising his child, as be it a boy or a girl, he or she will keep reminding me of him every day, and how he broke my heart."

"Meg, please," Alice pleaded, taking her sister's hand. "The baby may be Lowell's, but that shouldn't keep you from accepting this child as your own. Just think of it as a replacement; instead of Lowell, you will have a child to care for."

Margaret sighed, her eyes averting to look at the floor. Her sister was right; just because the child was Lowell's, it shouldn't mean that she should neglect it.

"And I know you, Meg," Alice continued. "You've always wanted to be a mother, and come the birth, you'll feel motherly feelings towards the child."

"And we shall help you raise him or her in every way we can," Mirana added, smiling.

Margaret looked up, and instead of crying tears of unhappiness, she was crying tears of joy.

"I'm...I'm going to have a baby," she said happily. "I'm going to have a baby."

Alice smiled, and it wasn't long before the two sisters were hugging it out.

"Oh, I'm going to be a mother and you are going to be an aunt," Margaret cried into Alice's shoulder.

Alice pulled away, smiling.

"If only everyone could be as happy as you are now, Meg," she said.

Margaret smiled back, before her face straightened out again.

"Wait, what am I to tell the others?" she asked.

"Don't worry, I'll tell them," Alice told her, and before her sister could protest, she hurried out the room and down the stairs.

Luckily, everyone was still seated at the large table for breakfast; everyone being the Hatter, the March Hare, the White Rabbit, Mallymkun, the Tweedles, Chessur, the Dodo and Bayard and his family. Alice burst into the room with a happy expression, and everyone immediately snapped their heads round to face her.

"Alice?" the Hatter questioned, raising up from his seat. "Is everything all right?"

Alice gasped for breath, but everyone could see that she was clearly happy about something.

"It's my sister!" she said in between gasps. "She's expecting!"

"Expecting what?" the Hatter questioned. "A cup of tea?"

"A spoon?"

"A hair pin?"

"Pishsalver?"

"Pishsalver?"

"A baby?"

It was Bayard's wife, Bielle, who had made the last suggestion, and everyone turned to her with their eyebrows knotted together. The Hatter just laughed at the suggestion.

"Why would she be expecting a baby?" he questioned jokingly, until he noticed the serious look upon Alice's face. "She is?"

Alice nodded happily.

"She's going to be a mother, and I'm going to be an aunt," she said happily, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"You're crying, Alice," the Hatter observed, placing a hand on her cheek and using his thumb to wipe away one of her tears. "Are you not happy?"

"Of course I'm happy," Alice told him, sniffing away her tears. "These are tears of happiness."

Everyone's faces brightened up as they looked up at the aunt-to-be, and it wasn't long before everyone began to hurry out the room in order to go offer Margaret their congratulations. Only Alice and Hatter stayed put, not wanting to get caught up in the hustle and bustle their friends had created.

"I think I'll wait until they're all done before I go and offer my congratulations," the Hatter said, nodding his head after the hoard of creatures.

Alice smirked, raising her hand to wipe away the rest of her tears.

"Here, use this," the Hatter told her, taking out his handkerchief and handing it to her.

"Thank you," Alice thanked him, taking it from him and using it to dry her eyes.

She went to hand it back to him, but he refused it.

"Keep it," he told her. "I'm sure that you and your sister will need it more than I will."

So Alice placed it in her pocket, before she and the Hatter shared a smile which seemed to mean more than it was originally intended to.

* * *

Sorry this chapter was shorter than the ones before it, but I just couldn't think of anything else to add to it.

**Please review (but no multiple reviews, please)! **


	4. Feelings Debated

I have a poll up on my profile where you can vote for the gender of the baby, or twins. Please take the poll, because I'm unsure what gender the baby should be.

Oh, and I also have a new story up called Dinah, so please give that a look, too.

* * *

Feelings Debated

Like the Hatter had once told Alice, Time could be quite tricky, and had a mind all of it's own. One day, it would be moving at a snail's pace, while the next it could be moving at lightning speed. And sometimes, it just doesn't move at all for certain people, like the Hatter.

But whatever the case, Time seemed to be in Margaret's favour, and moved at a considerable pace for her and her unborn child. Three months passed, and everything was running smoothly. The morning sickness had stopped, and Mirana had assured her that the baby was in good condition, although she didn't know what gender it was.

"In early stages, the baby is still making up it's mind whether it wants to be a boy or a girl," she explained to Margaret and Alice. "Later on I should be able to tell."

"No, I would like it to be a surprise," Margaret told her.

Mirana just nodded her head with a smile. Later on, the two sisters were visiting the Hatter in his workshop, and told him the news that the baby was in good health.

"Oh, I do love surprises!" he commented, when he was told that Margaret wanted the baby's gender to be a surprise. "You don't know when they'll pop up, and they get you so excited that the wait drives you mad!"

"Or madder than you already were," Alice added, smirking.

"Exactly!" the Hatter agreed. "Like say when you arrived here the second time around; I was _so_ excited by your return, that I went from just regular mad to completely and utterly and insanely mad-"

"Hatter!" Margaret and Alice said together.

"I'm fine," the Hatter assured them.

"And how mad were you when I arrived the third time?" Alice asked.

"Oh, don't get me started!" the Hatter replied happily, and both he and Alice giggled like idiots.

Margaret smiled as she watched them. Being honest with herself, she had never thought that Alice and Hamish were a perfect match, and somewhere deep inside of her, she was glad that Alice had turned him down. She knew her sister, and that the perfect match for her would have to love her for who she was, and of course, have that rare shriek of madness.

Watching Alice and the Hatter, Margaret knew that there was a perfect match right in front of her – the last couple she had seen who were as perfect for each other had been her mother and father.

"We'd best be letting you get on with your work," Alice said, as she began to stand up and leave.

But the Hatter stopped her, taking her hand in his.

"Nunz, don't go, I don't mind," he said, and Margaret noticed the pleading look in his bright green eyes.

"I know, but five more minutes with you could wear poor Meg out," Alice explained.

When Alice said this, an idea formed in Margaret's head. There was definitely something there between these two, and since it was clear that neither of them knew it, Margaret decided to give it that little helping hand.

"No, it's OK, Alice," she told her sister, as she stood up from her seat. "You can stay here. I need to go and speak with Mirana, anyway. I'll leave you two to it."

Smiling at Alice, Margaret left the room, leaving her sister and the Hatter alone together. There was silence for a moment as Alice puzzled over the smile that her sister had given her; it had been a knowing smile, and she had given her a similar one the day before the proposal.

"You know, I think Meg knows something that we don't," she finally said.

"What makes you think that?" the Hatter asked, his attention mainly focussed on the new hat that he was making.

"I know Meg; I know the smiles that she gives me, and that one seemed to suggest that she knows something which I must find out for myself," Alice explained. "I find it highly frustrating when she won't tell me what it is, but in a good way."

"I didn't know that you can be frustrated in a good way?" the Hatter questioned.

"A good way is when someone's pulling a trick on you," Alice told him. "It's similar with madness; there's a good sort and a bad sort. You happen to be an example of a good sort of madness."

The Hatter couldn't help but smile at this comment, before continuing with the hat that he was making.

"Would now be a good time for me to try one on?" Alice asked, remembering back at the Red Queen's castle where she had asked him before.

Instantly, the Hatter picked up a hat from one of the hat stands and placed it on her head. It was yellow in colour, and had a small black veil covering her face. Fake bees sat on the top, and Alice giggled as she whirled around, before she began to imitate Lady Ascot.

She then snatched up another hat off another hat stand, and perched it on the Hatter's head. Both laughed at the sight of each other.

Neither of them realized that Margaret was watching them through the gap in the door, a wide smile spread across her face.

* * *

Later on that evening, Margaret was sitting in front of the mirror in her nightgown, brushing her hair, while Alice was seated upon her bed, fiddling with her necklace.

"Alice," Margaret began, breaking the silence, "have you ever thought about being with someone?"

Alice averted her eyes up and gave her sister an odd look.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked. "Like marriage?"

"Well, yes, but I mean do you think that you'll ever fall in love with someone?" Margaret asked again.

"I don't know," Alice admitted. "Perhaps if the right man came along, then yes."

"The right man could be closer than you think," Margaret said knowingly, gazing at her sister in the mirror.

"What?" Alice asked, before remembering that knowing smile her elder sister had given her when she had left her alone with the Hatter. "You can't mean Hatter, can you?"

"Alice, I've seen the way he looks at you, and the way you look at him," Margaret explained, turning to face her sister properly. "There's something there, I can see it. And who could be more perfect for a mad girl than a mad hatter?"

Alice just looked at her, before a smile crept across her face.

"Well, I guess I _do_ like him a bit," she admitted. "But you don't mind that he's mad?"

"Of course not," her sister told her. "I've never seen two people more made for each other since mother and father. And as long as you're happy, I'm happy. But it's a good thing that Mother isn't here, though. She would have been horrified!"

This Alice _had_ to laugh at.

"I know Father would have laughed at how perfect the match is," Alice added.

Both sisters laughed together, before Alice looked down into her hands.

"But I don't think that it could ever work," she said gravely. "He only thinks of me as a good friend."

Margaret stared at her with a smile on her face, seeing the look of longing in her little sister's eyes. Alice noticed this when she glanced up.

"Stop it, Meg!" she said.

Margaret just laughed.

"I just need to take care of something," she said suddenly, before getting up and leaving the room.

Margaret hurried along the hallway until she came across the small white form of Mallymkun, seated upon the window seal and gazing up at the stars.

"Mallymkun!" she called, and the small dormouse turned to her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she replied, turning to face her.

"What time does the Hatter go out on his daily stroll tomorrow?" Margaret asked.

"Nine o'clock every morning," Mallymkun replied. "He never fails to go out at that exact time, and never leaves too early. Why do you want to know this?"

"Because me and Alice need to meet up with him," Margaret explained. "Only I need to make it look like it hadn't been planned."

* * *

Can you tell that I've never written Alice/Hatter before? Yeah, sorry if something doesn't sound right; my first time, remember?

**Please review!**


	5. A Casual Stroll

It's funny how I've suddenly got mass amounts of reviews the moment I've put in some Alice/Hatter moments. I got fifteen all at once in one night, as well as an inbox full of favs and alerts!

TarjaRocksMyWinterStorm: Yeah, I like those lines from the films, so I felt the need to add them!

pachysam: I'm mainly focussing this story around Margaret, Alice and Hatter, so that won't be explained. Sorry.

And just a reminder that I have a poll up on my profile, so that you can all vote for what gender Margaret's baby should be. It's a tie at the moment, so I need more votes to decide, because I seriously can't decide myself!

* * *

A Casual Stroll

So at exactly nine o'clock the next morning, Margaret was able to convince Alice to take a casual stroll with her through the gardens at Marmoreal. The sisters talked about many topics, one of them being what Margaret would name her baby, whether it be a boy or a girl.

"I have always known what names I wanted to give my children," she told Alice. "They would be named after our parents; so, if I have a boy, he'll be named Charles, and if I should have a girl, she will be named Helen."

"What about surnames?" Alice asked.

Margaret looked down at her feet.

"I'm sorry-"

"No, it's fine," Margaret assured her. "I'm glad you have brought it up. I have decided that the baby should not have Lowell's name, and shall instead bare the name Kingsleigh."

The sisters were silent as they walked on, but just as they were about to turn a corner, the Hatter came the other way and almost bumped into them.

"Oh! Fancy seeing you two here!" he exclaimed happily.

"Good morning to you too, Hatter," Alice greeted him.

"Yes, and what a lovely morning it is!" the Hatter commented. "Mind if I join you on your walk?"

So the three of them continued through the gardens, and it wasn't long before Margaret casually asked what the time was.

"It is twenty past the hour," the Hatter told her.

Margaret came to a sudden halt.

"What is it, Meg?" Alice asked, her brows knotting together in confusion.

"I've just remembered," her sister lied, "I was supposed to be meeting with Mirana about something. I must walk back to the castle."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Alice asked.

"No, I shall be fine," Margaret assured her. "And besides, I wouldn't want to ruin your walk."

Alice turned to the Hatter then back at her sister, before her eyes narrowed with suspicion. She knew Margaret well enough to know when she was up to her match-making tricks again; she had already found matches for all of her friends, as well as the Chattaway sisters, Faith and Fiona. And after the failed proposal, Alice suspected that it would only be a matter of time before her sister tried to get her matched off.

With one last smile, Margaret walked away back to the castle, leaving Alice and the Hatter alone.

"So, shall you be the first to stimulate a conversation?" the Hatter asked, as they both began walking again.

"What conversation would you like me to stimulate?"

"Things that begin with the letter 'M' are always worth conversing about?" the Hatter suggested.

Alice smiled at this, before a better topic emerged in her head. One which she had been debating over ever since the battle against the Jabberwocky.

"Hatter, why did you interfere when I was fighting the Jabberwocky?" she asked. "You must have known that it would put you in danger."

The Hatter drew to a halt, a distant look painted across his face. After knowing him for so long, Alice could tell what his emotions were at any moment in time, since they were always very close to the surface and showed through the colour in his eyes. But at that moment, Alice didn't have any idea at all as to what emotion he was portraying.

"You needed help, and I gave it to you," he eventually answered. "Help is a wonderful thing, and everyone needs it. Even a champion such as yourself. And you must know, Alice, that I would do anything to keep you safe."

Alice smiled.

"I figured that out when you gave yourself up for me," she commented.

The Hatter smiled back, and the two of them began walking again.

"What shall we converse now?" he asked. "Something a bit more interesting, perhaps; why not tell me about life up top?"

"There's nothing interesting about life up top," Alice told him with a giggle, "but if you really want to know-"

"I do."

"-then I shall tell you," Alice began. "We have something up top called high society, which mine and Meg's family were apart of."

"Did this high society have tea parties when they met?" the Hatter asked.

"Sometimes, but nothing like the ones you have with the March Hare and Mallymkun," Alice explained. "We always sat quietly and calmly, and sometimes talked about the latest fashions."

"Sounds boring," the Hatter commented.

"They were," Alice agreed. "There were also garden parties, too, where people would dress up nicely and talk, dance and eat cake."

"That doesn't sound too bad," the Hatter said.

"Easy for you to say when you haven't actually been to one," Alice told him. "And what made them worse was that all the ladies had to wear a corset."

"What's a corset?" the Hatter asked.

"It's something which was worn under dresses," Alice explained. "It goes around a woman's body, and is then tightened up so tightly that women can barely breathe."

"Then why do they wear them?" the Hatter asked in confusion.

"Apparently it's all in the name of fashion," Alice said. "I only ever wore one once, and I refused to wear them again."

"Good for you," the Hatter told her. "What about your parents? What were they like?"

A distant look spread across Alice's face, but she went on to tell him, anyway.

"My mother was very proper, and would always tell me what to do and wear," she explained. "But I knew that she loved me all the same, and was only trying to do what was best for me."

"Reminds me of my mother, and how she would scowl at me whenever I wore one of my extravagant hats," the Hatter commented.

Alice let out a giggle.

"But my father," she continued, "he was a good man. He was the only one who could really understand me, and was the one who taught me how to imagine six impossible things before breakfast. He's a lot like you, in a way, minus the hair, eyes, pale skin and hat. I think you two would have gotten along really well."

"If you take after him then yes, I would have liked to have met him," the Hatter said.

There was silence for a moment, as the Hatter debated over whether he should ask Alice something he had wanted to know ever since she came back to Underland. It nagged him at the back of his brain, and in the end, the question leapt out of his throat before he had the chance to stop it.

"Did you have any suitors up top?"

Alice turned to him with a surprised expression.

"Suitors?" she echoed.

The Hatter hesitated, before he nodded.

"Well, I did, but not many, and neither of them stuck around for very long," she explained. "The fact that I was considered quite pretty among women attracted them, but once they got a taste of my personality, they stopped coming. There was one, though, who actually went as far as trying to seduce me."

The Hatter froze, and Alice watched as his eyes changed from green to red.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked in a protective way.

"Don't worry, he didn't," Alice assured him. "I told him both kindly and rudely that I was not interested, but he just refused to drop it. My father thankfully came home just in time. I was sent up to my room to cool off, so I don't know what my father did, but it seemed to work. The man never came back."

"Good, because I would have happily gone up there to give that _guddler's scuttish shukem juggling slunking muck em briggling_-"

"Hatter!"

The rant stopped abruptly, and the Hatter blinked back into the moment.

"Thank you," he said. "I'm fine."

Alice just smiled.

"Hamish was the last suitor I had," she continued, "and after turning him down, I think the men became quite put off. They wanted wives who would keep their mouths shut and just look pretty, as well as provide them with heirs. The fact that I was headstrong and a business woman chased them away."

The Hatter smiled down at her.

"Do you want to ever marry?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Alice replied honestly. "Perhaps if the right man came along and I loved him enough, then yes. But there is a difference between wanting to marry and actually marrying. I may never get the chance."

The Hatter's eyes flashed a dark blue colour. So Alice wants to marry? For some reason, this made the Hatter's heart beat faster, and he puzzled over why this one statement made him so happy. He couldn't really understand it.

"You'll find the right man someday," he finally said, "and he'll be a very lucky man."

The walk continued on in silence, but as they made their way through a field of knee high grass, Alice tripped over a hidden pot hole. She fell to the ground with a surprised and painful yelp.

"Alice!" the Hatter cried, crouching down beside her. "What happened? Are you all right?"

"Don't worry, I just tripped," Alice assured him.

The Hatter helped her up, but once Alice tried to put pressure on her foot, she cried out in pain and would have fallen back down again, if the Hatter hadn't been there to catch her.

"We must take you to the White Queen; she'll have something that will make it better," he explained. "Here, I'll carry you."

Before Alice could protest, the Hatter gathered her up in his arms and carried her back to the castle. They luckily met no one along the way, and when they finally arrived in Alice's room, the Hatter gently laid her down on the bed.

"Thank you, Hatter," Alice thanked him.

"You know that I would do anything for you, Alice," the Hatter told her, before standing up and exiting the room in order to find the White Queen, a question hovering at the back of his mind.

Why did holding Alice in his arms feel so right?

* * *

I hope that sounded all right.

**Please review! **


	6. More Feelings Debated

I would like to apologize for this chapter being short. It was seriously hard to write, as the Hatter kept going OOC whenever I wrote him. So I prefered to keep it short with him in character than a long one with him OOC. I hope you enjoy it, all the same.

And just a reminder that my pole is still going, if you haven't voted yet. I need to know the gender of the baby before I write that chapter.

* * *

More Feelings Debated

Alice's ankle was not hurt badly, but Mirana still gave her a potion to ease the pain and advised her to stay in bed for the rest of the day. Margaret wanted to help her sister anyway she could, but the Hatter insisted that she should not wear herself out, and offered to wait on Alice while her ankle was healing. This Margaret had to oblige to; anything that might help bring him and her sister closer together.

A month passed, and the pregnancy had reached it's fourth month mark. Margaret's belly was growing bigger, and it wasn't long before Mirana had come maternity clothing made especially for her. They were all as beautiful as her normal clothing, and Margaret admired them gratefully.

One evening, Margaret was seated in the library quietly, reading one of the books that she had found upon the shelf. Even now, she was absorbing information like she had done back home, and Margaret found herself learning something new about Underland with every passing day.

"Will I be disturbing you if I ask you something?"

Margaret looked up, to find the Hatter standing in front of her.

"Of course not," she said, closing her book and placing it down on the shelf.

The Hatter took a seat next to her.

"It's...it's about your sister," he began.

Hope began to rise inside of Margaret. Could this be what she thought it was?

"What about her?" she asked.

"Well, it's not necessarily about her, but more this feeling I get when I'm around her," the Hatter continued.

A smile spread across Margaret's face.

"Explain it to me," she asked of him.

"Well, I keep wanting to stare at her when she walks past," he began, "and whenever she enters the room, I find myself growing shy and nervous. Sweat trickles down the back of my neck, and I feel my heart beating faster. And my brain tells me that I must do anything for her, whatever the costs. Have I gone madder than I already am? Or have I fallen ill?"

Margaret tried hard not to laugh, but she couldn't stop a smile from creeping on her face. She couldn't believe that he didn't know what this feeling was, since it was so obvious.

"Yes, you have caught a sickness," she replied. "Love sickness."

The Hatter's eyes flashed a dark blue colour. Love? Did he really love Alice? He had heard of the feeling many times before, but never in all his life had he ever felt it himself. And it felt good.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly normal not to realize it," Margaret assured him, after seeing the shocked and confused look upon his face. "I've actually known longer than you two put together."

"How?"

"I can see these sorts of things," Margaret replied. "But I think that someone would be blind if they couldn't see that you and Alice love each other."

The Hatter snapped his head up immediately.

"She loves me too?" he questioned.

"Of course," Margaret answered. "Don't worry, not realizing that is normal, too."

There was silence. The Hatter kept his eyes fixed upon the floor, not sure what to think; the very fact of knowing that Alice loved him back made him want to Futterwacken with joy, but he contained himself and remained frozen to the spot.

"Hatter? Hatter!"

The Hatter blinked back into reality and the sound of Margaret's voice.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Will you tell her?" Margaret asked.

"Sorry?"

"Will you tell Alice how you feel about her?" Margaret asked again.

The Hatter didn't know how to reply to this. He wanted to, but he didn't know if he could. What if Margaret was wrong, and she _didn't_ feel the same way about him? What if she turned him down flat and left him with a broken heart?

"I don't know."

* * *

Hopefully the next chapter will be longer.

**Please review!**


	7. The Caucus Race

So here's the chapter I know a couple of you have been waiting for (since I got quite a few requests for it); the Caucus Race! It was something that was in the original Alice In Wonderland book, but if you haven't read it, then don't worry. It'll all be explained.

And just a reminder that my pole is still up, and I need a firm winner before I start writing the birth chapter. It's not the next chapter, but it will be soon.

* * *

The Caucus Race

For two months, Margaret waited for the Hatter to confess his feelings to Alice, but no such confession ever came, from neither Hatter nor Alice. Margaret almost wanted to scream and pull her hair out whenever Alice and Hatter passed one another in one of Marmoreal's many hallways, and only gave each other a smile or on some occasions, a blush. When the six month mark came about, Margaret made it her goal to try and get the two of them together before her baby was born, and decided to try something that her father had done with her mother when he was trying to court her; he took her out on a picnic.

Margaret suggested this to Alice, and her sister actually thought that the idea was a good one, but talked Margaret into staying with Mirana in the palace due to her belly being too big. So it was all arranged; Alice, Hatter, Mallymkun, the March Hare, the Tweedles, Chessur and Uilleam the dodo would take food with them early one morning and go out for the day on a picnic in the many fields that surrounded Marmoreal. Absolem also made an appearance, landing on Alice's shoulder as a butterfly as they set off.

"It's such a nice day," Alice commented, as they set themselves down on a dry patch of grass. "It's a shame that Meg can't come, since this was her idea."

"I'm sure we'll do it again after the baby's born, though," Mallymkun said, as she settled inside an empty tea pot.

"And then we can have another little guest to share our tea with," the Hatter added.

"But it better not be late!" the March Hare cried, before he hurtled a cup in their direction.

Both Alice and Hatter ducked just in time, the cup smashing against the tree behind them. They were thanking themselves for bringing lots of extra cups along. The picnic went on like any normal meal would for Alice (which was the Hare throwing about cups, Mallymkun flinging sugar cubes all over the place, Chessur disappearing and reappearing everywhere and the Tweedles constantly arguing), before suddenly, Absolem took off and left for no apparent reason. He landed a short distance away under a mushroom.

"Absolem?" Alice questioned.

But he was too far away for Alice to hear what he said. And not only that, but something else had caught everybody's attentions. Dark clouds were gathering up ahead, and the smell of rain water filled everyone's nostrils.

"I've never known for weather to change so suddenly," she commented.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly normal down here in Underland," the Hatter told her. "That's why we must always be on the look out for any changes."

Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning, soon followed by a loud crash. The March Hare jumped in fright and grabbed hold of Chessur, who disappeared and left the Hare standing alone. It wasn't long before rain was pouring down upon them all.

"Quickly! We must head for cover!" the Hatter called out.

So everyone hurriedly collected up all the picnic stuff and raced towards the nearest tree, but by the time they made it underneath, they were already soaked to the bone. Chessur appeared next to them, dry as he had been.

"This is one of the many reasons why cats hate water," he commented.

Mallymkun just huffed in response as she shook herself off. The March Hare squeezed the water out of his ears like a dish cloth and Uilleam shook the water from his feathers, whilst the Hatter poured off the rain water which had collected in his hat. Alice rinsed out the water from her long hair, but the poor Tweedles could do nothing in order to get themselves dry.

"How long will this last?" Alice asked.

"Shouldn't be too long," the Hatter replied. "Rain storms don't usually last very long."

And he was right. For no sooner had he said this, the rain started to ease off, and eventually came to a point where no one would have ever suspected that it had been raining, the only evidence being the damp grass and the soaking wet inhabitants coming out from under the tree.

"How are we to ever get dry again?" Alice rose the question. "We can't exactly walk back to the castle like this; we'll catch a cold if we stay wet any longer."

"But there's no other way, no-how," Tweedledum spoke up.

"I could tell you all a story which I heard once from McTwisp, on one of his visits up top?" Mallymkun suggested.

Everyone seemed to groan and roll their eyes at this. Mallymkun found herself huffing.

"It was a very dry story, but please yourselves," she huffed.

"In which case," the dodo spoke up, "I think we need to adapt a more energetic remedy which will help us shed our rainwater."

"We no speak your long worded smart talk," Tweedledee stated.

"I think he means for us to have a Caucus Race," the Hatter translated.

Memories of her first visit flooded back into Alice's mind. She remembered the Caucus Race, all right, all though as far as she could remember, it had ended very abruptly for her. But she couldn't remember why.

"I might need reminding exactly what that is," she said sheepishly.

So as the others prepared for it, the Hatter ushered her to the side in order to explain.

"First, a race track must be marked out, in the shape of a large circle," he told her. "Then we must stand somewhere in the course, wherever we choose. There is no 'one, two, three,' in order to start; each member of the race can start when they like, and stop when they like."

"Then how do we know when it's over?" Alice asked, for she was certain that it didn't end like it should last time.

"Whoever's hosting it decides when it's over," the Hatter explained. "In this case, Uilleam will call out when it is over. Dodo's are known for hosting Caucus Races, so we'll leave it up to him."

They were told that they were ready to begin, so Alice and Hatter walked back over to the others. A circle had been drawn on the ground, and the others had already taken their positions around the track. Alice and Hatter did the same, before they all set off running.

Alice stopped and started whenever she liked, as well as the others, which caused a lot of mayhem. Mallymkun almost got trodden on by the March Hare when she came to a sudden halt, and Alice almost bumped into Tweedledee when he came to a stop. Both Chessur and Absolem watched from the sidelines in amusement, chuckling at the party of runners who kept on nearly falling over. It was at that point which Uilleam realized that the race was quite getting out of hand.

"The race is over!" he called out.

Everyone skidded to a halt. The March Hare a bit too late, and ended up skidding clean off the course and head first into a tree, where he began seeing stars as his head was spinning. Not that it would do any damage, of course. But he wasn't the only one who couldn't stop himself in time; Alice found that she couldn't either, and in the end, bumped into Hatter and they both fell to the ground with her on top of him. But being the mad pair that they were, they erupted into a fit of giggles.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, something weird passed between them. Like some sort of connection, deeper than anything they had ever experience, and it seemed to blank out the world around them. They remained this way for a mere moment.

"Alice! Hatter!" Mallymkun snapped, bringing them both out of their trance.

Both blinked back into reality.

"I'm fine," the Hatter assured them all.

"Same here," Alice added, climbing off of Hatter.

She helped him up, and they both laughed weakly.

"Hey! Are you two coming?"

They turned, to see everyone making ready to head back to the castle. After exchanging glances once more, they followed on behind.

* * *

I hoped you all liked it!

**Please review! **


	8. The Ball

So here's the next chapter which I know you'll all like...hint hint...

But before I begin, the Keltikidik celebration mentioned in this chapter is something I found out about in the Alice In Wonderland visual guide. Seriously, that book is really useful.

Oh, and can you all please check out my newest Alice In Wonderland story? It's called Welcome To Mystery. And can you all check out my forum, called The Underland Underground Resistance.

And just a reminder that my pole is still going, and I need an answer soon. So if you haven't voted, please vote, otherwise I won't update. But don't bother voting for a boy since that one is pretty much out of the running, so it's out of a girl and twins.

* * *

The Ball

Margaret had reached the eight month mark when Mirana came to her with plans to hold a ball very soon.

"A ball?" Margaret questioned. "Whatever for?"

"Well, once a year, we celebrate Keltikidik; a celebration in honour of me," Mirana explained. "It's a day where everyone must wear white, drink only milk, and if we must lie, they can only be white lies."

"What an unusual celebration," Margaret commented. "No offence, of course."

"None taken. I just need you help planning the ball which will take place in the evening," Mirana continued. "What food to provide, what music to have."

"Well, to stay with the white theme, sugar cubes are the most obvious food, and in my world, we have something called white chocolate," Margaret explained. "As for music, I'm sure the usual should be fine."

They planned for the rest of the afternoon, making all sorts of arrangements and decisions, one of which being that every lady apart from the Queen was to be escorted by a gentlemen to the ball. The gentlemen just had to ask, of course.

Word travelled faster than the wind, and people around Marmoreal were soon pairing up. Bayard paired up with Bielle for obvious reasons, and Thackery was able to come to his senses long enough to ask Mallymkun. Chessur found another cat to go with, Uilleam asked one of the flamingos, and the Tweedles paired up with two giggling twin girls. McTwisp even plucked up the courage to ask Margaret to be his partner, which she accepted with a smile.

The Hatter knew exactly who he wanted to ask. He fiddled with his coat nervously as his eyes gazed upon Alice, who was standing out on the balcony looking over Underland. He took a deep breath and went to stand beside her.

"I've...I've been considering things that begin with the letter 'E'," he began.

"Like what, Hatter?" Alice asked, turning to face him.

"Well, there's Ending, Evening, Escort...speaking of which, may I be your escort to the ball?"

There. The question was out in the open, and there was no turning back. Alice kept her eyes fixed upon him for a moment, before a smile crept across her face.

"It's about time," she replied. "I've been waiting for you to ask me."

"Really?" the Hatter questioned.

"Of course," Alice told him. "I've never been one for balls, but if I had to go with someone, that someone would be you."

The Hatter smiled a toothy grin.

* * *

Keltikidik finally arrived, and everyone was dressed in white which quite amused Alice, since she had been so used to seeing all her friends in different colours. She was especially amused when she saw Hatter dressed in his white clothing, white fabric wrapped around his hat and his red hair and green eyes standing out.

The day was pretty much spent drinking milk, playing chess where the white pieces always won, and telling white lies whenever necessary. It even snowed outside, adding some more white to the celebration. Evening soon fell, and everyone got changed into their smart clothing and ball gowns. The Hatter waited outside Alice's room for her, and when she finally emerged wearing a beautiful white ball gown, his breath got caught in his throat.

"You look..." he tried to say. "You look...you look...you look..."

"Hatter," Alice said kindly, bringing him out of his trance.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "What I mean to say was...you look beautiful."

"And you look positively dashing," Alice complimented, before she noticed that his eyes had changed. "Hatter, why have your eyes changed colour?"

They were that deep blue again, and she couldn't understand what that colour meant.

"What does blue stand for?" she asked.

"Oh, I just changed the colour myself," he replied. "I can do that you know, and blue goes much better with white, wouldn't you say?"

"I guess," Alice admitted, completely unaware that blue stood for love.

They linked arms and made their way to the ballroom, where music was already playing and people were dancing. A table of refreshments stood at the far end of the room, consisting of milk, sugar cubes and white chocolate. Alice was thankful that Keltikidik hadn't been celebrated during her first visit; sugar used to make her extremely hyper when she was younger, and just looking at that table would have probably had her running around for hours.

"Alice, I've never seen you look so beautiful!" Margaret exclaimed as they walked over to her. "I simply cannot understand why you refused to wear dresses such as this one back home; they suit you really well."

"That was because those dresses came with a corset and stockings, which I hate above all," Alice told her. "This dress has neither."

The ball went on swimmingly. Everyone danced at least two dances, and the Hatter ever treated everyone to the Futterwacken, which Margaret found rather amusing. It was almost midnight when the last song began to play, and Alice was sat down in a quiet corner of the room, hoping to escape everyone's eye and have some time to herself. But there were a pair of deep blue eyes which she couldn't escape from completely.

"Alice," the Hatter began, walking over to her and holding out a hand, "would you do me the honour of dancing this last dance with me?"

It was an offer Alice simply couldn't refuse. Smiling, she placed her hand in his and he led her onto the dance floor, where they began to dance slowly to the music. They started off by holding hands, but it wasn't long before Alice found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her head on his chest, with the Hatter equally wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin atop of her head. And for some reason, he felt the urge to say something.

"Alice."

"Hmm?"

"When my eyes turn blue, it does mean something."

Alice looked up, and their eyes met.

"Then, what does it mean?" she asked.

It all happened so quickly. They continued to look into each others eyes for a moment, until the Hatter found himself leaning in closer, his eyes closing. Alice did not feel frightened by this, but instead, closed her eyes, too. Both felt each other's warm breath against their lips, but just as they were about to brush together, the Hatter stopped himself. He couldn't do it. He couldn't take advantage of Alice in this way.

"I...I...have to..." he stammered, but didn't even finish the sentence before he hurried away.

Alice was left standing alone as the song finished. She was confused, and unsure how to feel about what just happened.

"Did he...did he just try and kiss me?" she whispered.

* * *

Did that sound OK? Please tell me if it didn't. Oh, and here's the link to the song that was playing whilst they were dancing:

h t t p: / / w w w. youtube. com / watch? v= gOFGa_ 4quiU

Just take out the spaces. And yes I know, it's a modern song, but I like it and I think it suits the moment.

**Please review! **


	9. Giving Birth

The votes are in. The reviews have decided the gender, and now, I present to you all, the birth chapter!

* * *

Giving Birth

About a month later, everyone was sitting down for supper when Margaret came in, her stomach as big as ever.

"What would you like for supper, Meg?" Alice asked her sister.

Margaret scanned her eyes over the table at all the different food set out.

"Well, I guess I could have some-" she began, but stopped short as she placed her hand on her stomach and took in deep breaths, before returning to normal. "So anyway..."

Everyone just frowned at her in confusion.

"Meg, are you all right?" Alice asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, I keep getting these stomach aches," Margaret explained. "They come and go every five minutes, but I don't think it's anything serious."

"Oh my goodness!" Bielle gasped, rising to her feet.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the Queen has some form of potion that'll help," the Hatter said.

"No, it's not a stomach ache, she's in labour!" Bielle realized.

"Oh my goodness!" Alice echoed.

Panic erupted. Everyone hurried to help Margaret up to her room, and poor McTwisp fainted at the excitement. Margaret, though, was worried. No one had ever told her how to give birth and what it was like; not even her mother, who had said that she would as soon as Margaret fell pregnant with her first child. But of course, she had died long before all this.

"Mally, go find Mirana!" Alice told the dormouse.

"I'm on it!" Mallymkun said, before hurrying away.

The pain had gotten worse, and Margaret found it so unbearable that she was crying out at the top of her lungs. Even if Mallymkun didn't find Mirana, Alice had every faith that the White Queen would hear and realize what was going on.

"If I ever see Lowell again, I am going to kill him for putting me through this!" Margaret cried.

"I think shouting at him like you are now will be enough punishment," the Hatter winced, as he and Alice carried Margaret up to her room.

Once in her room, the two of them laid her down on her bed, just as Mirana entered the room with the midwife.

"Just take in deep breaths," the White Queen told Margaret, before turning to the others. "There are too many people in the room. Alice and Bielle can stay, but everyone else must leave."

So reluctantly, everyone else left the room, where they waited outside with anxious thoughts clouding up their brains. McTwisp even fainted again at the sound of Margaret's cries.

Like all first births, it was a long and difficult one. But finally, after five hours of pain, yelling and pushing, Margaret gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

"You did it, Meg," Alice congratulated her sister. "You did it."

The midwife placed the screaming baby in the new mother's arms, and Margaret found herself crying.

"Oh my sweet, sweet Helen," she said softly, naming the baby after her mother.

"Go and call the others in," Mirana asked the midwife.

"Yes, your majesty," the midwife replied, before walking over to the door.

Soon, everyone was crowding round Margaret and the new baby. The Hatter went and stood by Alice with Chessur appearing by his shoulder, while Uilleam and the Tweedles stood by the other side of the bed. Bayard stood by Bielle, Thackery and McTwisp hopped up onto the bed, and Mallymkun came to sit on Margaret's knee.

"She looks like you, Meg," Alice observed.

And she was right. Baby Helen had a small patch of blonde hair atop of her head, and when she opened her eyes, emerald green orbs sparkled like a mirror image of her mother's.

"What's her name?" the Hatter asked.

"Helen Kingsleigh," Margaret replied. "After Mother."

There was silence for a few minutes as everyone gazed down upon the newborn baby, who in turn, was gazing up at all the weird and wonderful creatures surrounding her.

"Can I have some time alone, if that's all right?" Margaret requested.

Everyone obliged and left the room, leaving Margaret alone with her newborn daughter. She smiled as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"Alice was right," she said, remembering what her sister had told her just months before.

* * *

Deep in thought, Alice stood on the balcony outside her room, gazing up at the stars. She was an aunt. A smile crept across her face at this thought, and she began to imagine what it would be like to teach little Helen all she knew, including how to believe in six impossible things before breakfast.

She didn't notice the Hatter come and join her.

"How does it feel to be an aunt, then?" he asked.

Alice turned to him, and smiled.

"Like I have a new sense of purpose," she answered. "A new responsibility. There are a lot of things I want to teach her."

"Things that begin with the letter 'M' is one topic," the Hatter suggested. "And ravens and writing desks."

Alice laughed softly.

"I think I'll leave that for you to teach her," she said.

There was silence, and very slightly, Alice glanced sidewards at her friend. Memories of the ball flashed through her brain; had he really tried to kiss her? And if he did, did that mean he liked her more than a friend? There was only one way to find out.

"Hatter," Alice began, "what would you do if I said that I love you?"

The Hatter snapped his head round to face her. That was the last thing he had ever expected her to ask. And gazing into her bright hazel eyes, he thought it best to give her a truthful answer.

"Well," he began hesitantly, "I will probably laugh out loud with mad happiness, pick you up and spin you round above my head, give you a big hug, and...I might even kiss you."

Kiss her? The very thought of the Hatter kissing her made Alice breathless with excitement. It gave her confidence to boldly show him how she really felt.

"Well in that case, I love you, Tarrant Hightopp."

And the Hatter immediately did what he said he would do. He laughed happily with madness, picked her up and spun her around above him, before placing her back down again and pulling her into a tight hug. They both stepped back, and Alice looked into his eyes; they were that dark blue again. And she finally realized what that colour meant.

Then, very slowly, the Hatter leant in and kissed her so gently, it almost made Alice want to cry.

* * *

FINALLY! I hope you were all satisfied with that chapter! But it's not over yet! Last chapter coming soon!

**Please review! **


	10. A New Beginning

Last chapter!

* * *

A New Beginning

A summer party was held in the grounds of Marmoreal a week after the birth. It was Underland tradition that when a baby is born, a party is held outside to celebrate the birth, and everyone presents the new mother with a gift for the baby. Margaret was delighted with all of the gifts that she received for Helen. Her grin widened when she saw Alice and Hatter approaching, hand in hand.

"Here's your Aunt Alice and Uncle Hatter, Helen," she told the baby in her arms.

Alice rolled her eyes at the fact that Margaret had said 'Uncle' Hatter.

"We brought Helen a gift," Hatter said, handing Margaret a box.

Margaret handed Helen to Alice before receiving the box, and she gasped in awe when she saw what was inside. It was a small top hat; pink in colour, and was attached to a small headband so that it could sit atop of Helen's head.

"Oh, it's beautiful," she exclaimed, removing it from the box.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it," Margaret answered him. "And I'm sure Helen will, too."

"It's a little big at the moment, but she can grow into it," the Hatter explained. "She's probably a bit too young to be wearing it at the moment, anyway."

Margaret placed it back in the box for safe keeping and put it with all the other gifts. The party continued on as planned, and the Hatter and Alice spent most of their time watching the children dance around the maypole, until the Hatter pulled Alice aside.

"What is it, Hatter?" Alice asked.

"Do you know that garden bench not far from here?" the Hatter questioned.

"Yes?"

"Meet me there in a short while," he told her, and disappeared into the crowd before Alice could ask him why.

She sighed and turned, but blinked in surprise when she found the Tweedles standing behind her.

"There's a secret which we need to tell you," Tweedledee began.

Alice blinked again. Why did that sound so familiar?

"It won't be a secret if you tell me, though, would it?" she told them.

"Maybe it's being wrong to tell her the secret," Tweedledum whispered.

"It ain't wrong, no-how," Tweedledee told his brother. "She's going to be hearing it anyway, so it'll still be a surprise to her contrariwise round."

"It won't be if you tell me first," Alice pointed out, only just being able to follow.

"Exactly what she says!" Tweedledum told his brother. "It won't be a surprise, no-how, if we tell her that the Hatter's going to propose."

Tweedledee slapped a hand over his mouth. Alice gasped at his words, but before she could give any sort of reply, a firm hand fell on her shoulder.

"You ruined the surprise!" Margaret scowled at the Tweedles, leading Alice away. "Ugh! Those two are worse than those Chattaway girls!"

That's when Alice remembered where she had heard a similar conversation. It had been at the failed engagement party, where the Chattaway sisters had revealed to her that Hamish was going to propose.

"Let me guess, everyone knows and this is really my engagement party?" she asked.

"Everyone knows, but this is still only to celebrate Helen's birth. Hatter just decided to ask you today," Margaret explained, before turning to her sister with a look of worry. "Please tell me you're not going to turn him down like you did with Hamish?"

"Of course not!" Alice told her. "I turned down Hamish because I didn't love him, and I knew that I could never be happy with him. But Hatter...I love him, Meg. And I know that I can be happy with him."

"And I am happy for you both," Margaret said.

"Wait," Alice realized, "he's not going to ask me in front of everyone, is he?"

Her memories flashed back to the engagement party, remembering how everyone had been watching her with expectations. It had really made her feel awkward, and put her under a lot of pressure.

"Don't worry, you are both going to be alone," Margaret assured her. "Speaking of which, you best get going."

Realizing the time, Alice hurried away from the party and into the long rows of bushes, and began to navigate her way towards the garden bench. She found it a few minutes later, and the Hatter was already seated upon it.

"You're on time for once," he commented, as she sat down next to him.

"It did sound important, so I made sure that I was," Alice replied.

The Hatter smiled at her. They silently gazed into each others eyes for a few minutes, before the Hatter began to feel around in his pockets for something. He eventually found it, and handed Alice a small box. She opened it to find a silver ring inside.

"Alice Kingsleigh, Champion of Underland, will you-"

"Yes."

The Hatter blinked in surprise.

"But, you didn't even know what I was going to ask you?"

Alice laughed softly.

"The ring says it all, Hatter," she told him. "The ring says it all."

And a passionate kiss began their happily ever after.

* * *

TA-DA! A big thanks to all those who reviewed, added this to favs and added this to alerts! Thanks guys!

There won't be a sequel, but I have other stories up at the moment, called Welcome To Mystery and Musical Madness, as well as a lot more stories to come!


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